Phantoms: Ice and Fire--Chap 3

This is COMPLETELY AU, meaning that I'm screwing with practically everything, so don't assume ANYTHING! Nothing!!!

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Phantoms: Ice and Fire

Chapter Three:

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After assuring Danny that YES, he had powers, and NO, he couldn't climb walls or wear a mask, Clockwork had to practically pin the now-happy child to the bed. (Oh GOD that sounds wrong! Nnngh...)

It was odd but relieving, to see the boy happy. Until then, Danny had been on the verge of tears at all times, forever thinking of his lost family. Now, at the prospect to seeing them again(and with the added bonus of having ghost-powers while not actually being dead), Danny had turned into the happy, giggling eight-year-old that Clockwork remembered spyi–I mean, watching over.

Yeah.

The only problem: he was still in "Ghost Form". The laughing child he had pinned underneath his arm was white haired and jumpsuit-clad. It should have been a happy BREATHING, raven-haired boy on the bed laughing and making strange superhero gestures towards the glass ceiling.

Clockwork had to do something about that.

Naturally, the boy's exhaustion should had won over and he should have reverted back to human in a matter of minutes after the accident. However, since Danny had been in the Ghost Zone for the majority of his "transformation", the ambient energy of the Zone had re-enforced his ghost half. Meaning, in common English, that transforming back to human in the Ghost Zone would be extremely difficult.

He didn't think that Danny's small body could handle the strain.

"Daniel..."

Danny stopped laughing and glared up at him, but Clockwork ignored him. "I want you to focus your energy, Daniel. Picture yourself as you used to look. Can you do that?"

Danny thought for a minute, then shook his head. "I don't wanna. I like it like this."

"Daniel,"

"It's Danny! And who says I have to listen to you, anyway? You haven't even told me your name! You haven't told me NOTHING!"

"It's "You haven't told me Anything", Daniel."

"What EVER!" Danny seemed more angry than annoyed now, and the temperature in the room dropped ever so slightly. Clockwork frowned. It was true. He had simply told the boy to follow him, not giving any real information.  He had been rather trusting.

No wonder Vlad had corrupted the kid.

Danny was staring up at the elder ghost almost impatiently, his arms crossed over Clockwork's restraining grip. "Well?" he drawled, his voice pitched high and expecting.

Clockwork slowly released the boy, who gasped dramatically for a moment, and slowly drew Daniel's hand into his much larger one, his face blank.

Danny looked down at their hands, then back up, confused.

"I didn't need you to tell me what happened to your family, Daniel." when the child didn't respond, he continued. "I was watching. I watched your father activate the machine, I watched the portal explode, and I watched your family die."

Danny's eyes filled with tears, and he glared half-heartedly up at the Time Ghost. "W-why didn't you s-stop it? You could have saved them! Saved my Mommy and Daddy, and Jazzy, too! YOU COULD HAVE SAVED THEM!" In seconds he was bawling again, and Clockwork drew him closer.

"I wanted to, Danny, I really did."

"B-but why..?"

"Because I am Clockwork, the Master of Time, and it was their time to die." he lifted the boys chin and forced his gaze on his. "But it wasn't yours." Danny's eyes widened, and though the tears didn't sop falling, he stilled and listened to the steady rumble of Clockwork's voice. "You're destined for great things, Danny. Greater than you could ever imagine, and I couldn't let that go to waste."

Danny nodded slowly—he didn't understand. "Danny Fenton...." Clockwork  trailed off, and Danny opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out but a gush of air. Clockwork almost smiled, and he and ruffled the boy's powder white hair uncertainly. "If you don't turn back, you won't be a Fenton anymore, will you? You'll be a Phantom. A ghost."

Danny's eyes widened dramatically, and Clockwork latched onto that quickly. "You won't be able to eat, or sleep, and....." he raised an eyebrow suddenly, causing Danny to lean forward, mouth open slightly. "You won't look like your Father anymore."

That was the clincher.

"Turn me back, turn me back, TURN ME BAAACK!" Danny shrieked, much to Clockwork's amusement. He placed a hand firmly over Danny's mouth halting his screams, and said one word:

"Focus."

Danny's eyebrows shot up under his bangs, and then he slowly closed his eyes and stilled. An awkward silence fell in the room, and Clockwork glanced up, catching Marla's eye. He shot her a meaningful stare and waved her away. She shrugged, and wandered  to the other side of the room.

A low humming filled the air, and Danny squirmed uncomfortably. A second later, twin halos of light passed down his form, revealing a red and white t-shirt and jean shorts. Danny blinked at the bright light from behind his eyelids and slowly opened his eyes, his breath held in anticipation. He looked down at himself...

And screamed.

But instead of noise, a choking gasp came from his mouth and he doubled over, his eyes dilated to pinpricks and his mouth gaping. He clutched at the bed sheets desperately, not even noticing the movement around him. Black spots danced before his vision as he struggled for oxygen, every breath hurt, and suddenly!

He could breath again. Danny sucked in air greedily, tears already running down his cheeks. He looked up, terrified, to see Clockwork's blank face just inches above his own. He dimly realized that a pair of large hands were pressed at his temples, and that his hands were gloved again, before he slumped forward into Clockwork's waiting arms.

In a nanosecond, Marla was at his side, her eyes wide and terrified. When she spoke, she sounded close to tears. "What did you do, Master?" she cried, and brought her hands to her mouth.

Clockwork looked up grimly and spoke so quietly that Marla had to strain to hear him. "I was right..but when aren't I? The strain of the Ghost Zone was too much for him, and his body went into shock. Nothing I could do, really, but force the transformation back again."

Marla let out a highly over dramatic squeak and abruptly started sobbing into her hands. Clockwork shot her an annoyed glance: she wasn't much better than the ghosts he NORMALLY had to deal with. He raised his voice so as to be heard over her cries. "I infused him with low-grade ectoplasm: Nothing that would hurt him, certainly not so soon after the accident, but enough to cause his ghost genes to take over." He smiled wryly, as if he had a sudden idea. "Almost like a reverse 'Plasmius Maximus'."

Marla blinked confusedly.

His amusement with his private joke was cut short as an echoing bang rang through the walls. Clockwork barely blinked, unsurprised at the sudden interruption.  His visions were not needed to foresee this event.

The Observants had come.

In an instant, Danny's small form was shuffled over into Marla's arms, and Clockwork was out the door. He strode purposefully, gathering his power together even as he closed his eyes. Turning corners he didn't even know existed, Clockwork clenched his staff tightly and grit his teeth as energy fluctuated beneath his skin.  He let out a hiss of discomfort, bit his lip, and released the energy in one great pulse.

White light exploded in great ripples throughout the corridor, rebounding back off the walls and causing the Time Master's hair and cloak to ruffle with the power. Clockwork's face remained blank and cold however, already used to the feeling.

It was necessary.

A great deal of his stamina had left him with that stunt, leaving him even more weakened since it was the second time that day that he had to put together the illusion.  His image flickered once, then slowly faded in age, until he appeared to be a mere child once again. Normally, Clockwork would have sighed irritably at having to resort to suck trickery TWICE in one day, but not now.

Now, he was serious.

The observant's grating voices rang through the very walls in an angry clamour, steadily growing louder as he drew nearer to his viewing room. When the doors were in view, he barely paused to throw up his hood once again before sweeping the doors open with a resounding bang, simultaneously shifting his legs into a spectral tail.  In an instant, he was bathed in the eerie green light of his viewing room and the three Observants were on him.

Clockwork couldn't help but let that sigh escape, even through his guise of stone.

The Observants would always annoy him.

Always.